The Torah lists 24 species of non-kosher fowl. All others are
permitted. However, over the years uncertainty has arisen over the
identification of these birds. Therefore, Jews consider a fowl kosher only
if there is a tradition that this species has always been considered
kosher (as with chicken). There is no such tradition regarding Guinea Fowl
and Quail, and therefore, they are not considered kosher. Click here for a
further discussion on kosher birds.

Whether
or not worcestershire sauce can be used as a flavoring for meat or poultry
depends upon the percentage of anchovies used in the ingredients.
Anchovies are small fish. The halacha does not permit the mixing of
meat and fish because of sakana, halachic health concerns.
However, if the amount of anchovies are less than 1/60, i.e., less than
1.66% of the worcestershire ingredients, the fish would be batul
b'shishim, nullified in the sauce, and would not be considered a
health concern. (For example, a sauce marked "STAR-K Fish" contains more
than 1.66% fish, whereas a sauce with anchovies marked with only an
"STAR-K" uses less.)

4. I run a kosher kitchen at a senior center. We have no problem with the separation of milk and meat, that for us is obvious, but it starts getting fuzzy around the "Pareve" issue. Because we have no utensils that are designated pareve, all our pareve recipes are prepared on either meat equipment or dairy equipment.
My question is this: Is something that is prepared on meat equipment, permitted with a dairy meal, since the ingredients are strictly pareve?

Initially one may not cook parve food in a dairy pot in order to eat with meat (or vice versa). However, if not done intentionally to eat with meat, and the pot had not been used for 24 hours, the food may then be eaten with meat. (The parve food should be served with disposable utensils.)
One may cook parve food in a dairy pot (even if the pot had been used used within 24 hours) in order to eat the parve food after meat.

In Numbers 11:22 it states, “If sheep and cattle be slaughtered for them, will there be enough? If all the fish of the sea will be gathered for them, will there be enough?” From this quote we can understand that sheep and cattle require slaughtering, however, fish require only “gathering” and do not need to be slaughtered. They may be killed in any fashion.

The reason for this is given in the Talmud (Chulin 27b).Animals and birds are considered a higher level of creation than fish.

9. Your website indicates that the use of "pareve" regarding a food product means that the product
contains no meat or dairy ingredients. Does this mean vegans and
vegetarians can eat pareve foods without any
concern?"

Fish and eggs are pareve,
since they are neither meat nor dairy, although they are not considered
vegan. As far as vegetarians are concerned, there are different levels of
adherence and varied opinions as to what vegetarians will accept. We are
aware of many vegetarians who seek out pareve foods and feel that pareve satisfies their needs. However, we cannot say definitively
that all pareve foods are suitable for all vegetarians. If you have
a question about a specific product, feel free to contact
us.

10. What are the cheeses that are
considered "hard cheeses" for which one has to wait six hours before
eating meat? Are cottage and cream cheese considered hard cheeses? What if
the hard cheese is cooked?

Hard cheese is
cheese that has been aged so that it no longer can be sliced. Parmesian
cheese is considered hard if it has been aged for six months. Romano may
also be a hard cheese (but is not readily available as kosher). Swiss,
Cheddar, Muenster, and Mozzarella are not hard cheeses. Cottage and cream
cheese are certainly not hard cheeses either. If a hard cheese is cooked,
it does not lose its status as a hard cheese.

11. Someone told me that gelatin can come from
horses hooves. Is that true?Yes, it is possible that gelatin may come from horses hooves.
Gelatin is a natural product that can be extracted from bones, hides, or
hooves. The more common source would be animal hides. A reliable kosher
certification ensures that the gelatin comes only from kosher
animals.

The adult swordfish has no scales.
Even the scales of a young swordfish are not true scales. A fish is only
kosher if it has scales that can be removed from the skin. The scales of
swordfish cannot be removed without destroying the skin. Therefore
swordfish is not kosher.

The Star-K symbol on dairy products is cholov yisroel. These products are certified by Star-K Certification, Inc. whose Rabbinic Administrator is Rabbi Moshe Heinemann. Star-D is the registered trademark of the National Council of Young Israel. All Star-D establishments and products are administered by Star-K personnel. All standards of Star-K are employed in Star-D certifications except for the fact that Star-D products are cholov stam - not cholov yisroel.

18. I understand that fat is prohibited to eat (Leviticus 7:23). Does this apply to all fat of all animals?

No, it only applies to certain parts of the fat of farm animals (e.g. sheep, cow, goat), but not to non-farm animals (e.g. deer). This fat is removed by kosher butchers in the process of preparing meat for sale. The remaining fat on meat that has been properly prepared is permitted.

The forbidden fat is called "chelev". When animal sacrifices were brought to the Temple, the Torah required that the "chelev" of the sacrifices be brought to the altar.

If the sharpener gets hot (more than 120F) during sharpening, one should use separate sharpeners. If the sharpener does not get hot, then one can use the same one for meat and dairy. The knife should be washed in coo lwater before and after sharpening and the sharpener should be rinsed in cool water after use.

Kosher requirements specify that dairy and meat foods may not be mixed. Therefore, a kosher kitchen must have separate facilities for meat and dairy. When dealing with large quantities of foods (such as in a hotel), separate kitchens are required.

22. What is the blessing that is said before slaughtering an animal? Is it said over each animal is slaughtered?

The text of the blessing is, "Blessed are you....who has sanctified us through Your commandments and has commanded us in regards to kosher ritual slaughter." It is said
once prior to the starting of the kosher slaughtering process and it covers the entire day's production.

23. What does the designation of DE after the kosher symbol mean? Can the item be eaten as dessert for a meat meal? If not, does one need to wait six hours after a meat meal to eat the item?

The Star-K does not use the DE designation, but those agencies that do are putting the designation on foods that have no dairy but have been produced on dairy equipment. DE products can be eaten as a dessert after meat, but not together with meat.You do not need to wait six hours.